Gloucestershire Orchard Group

Countywide Apple Day events for the public 2008

Download events list [PDF]

Juice, Cider & Perry courses

Bookings taken for Juice, Cider & Perry courses at Hartpury, near Gloucester with Jim Chapman & Peter Mitchell at the new Perry Orchard Centre (Hartpury Historic Land & Buildings Trust) www.tasteandexplore.com

PERRY PEAR DAY/AUTUMN SHOW AT THE THREE COUNTIES SHOWGROUND, MALVERN each September.

Organized by the Three Counties Cider & Perry Association, in association with the Slow Food movement. GOG member Jim Chapman displays a wide range of perry pears (upto 70 varieties) and their fascinating history. This is always an opportunity to take along your perry pear samples for comparison/possible identification. Producers (including Tom Oliver of Olivers Cider & Perry) sell perry and Peter Mitchell ‘explores’ perry.  This is a unique annual event in the UK.

© Jim Chapman and Charles Martell 2007 Malvern Autumn Show (Three Counties)

PERRY PEAR EVENT - SATURDAY 18 OCTOBER 2008 National Trust at Dyrham Park near Bath.  The National Trust hosts apple days in the autumn and have done for many years.  We have decided that we would host a pear day, specifically a perry pear day here at Dyrham Park to celebrate the history of perry and the historical association with Dyrham and, of course, Gloucestershire. This is our first year and at present are keeping the event small.  We have a new perry orchard which supplies a cider producer in Street, Somerset, who in return produces perry for sale in our restaurant.  We also have an old pear orchard, now a woodland which contains 4 old perry pear trees. These have been propagated at Knighthayes in Devon and been replanted into our new orchard.  We say new but it was an orchard in the 1600s and we keep the name today.  Nichols orchard is also used in a perry cake produced in our restaurant. We would like to open the event up to local pear growers and perry producers to celebrate the history of perry and also pear products. 

(Gloucestershire Orchard Group committee member Jim Chapman is also displaying perry pears and perry history).

Dale Dennehy, Garden and Park Manager, Dyrham Park 01179372501 mob 07879608883  dale.dennehy@nationaltrust.org.uk

Budding Workshops

With Dave Kaspar at Days Cottage, Upton Lane, Brookthorpe, near Gloucester GL4 0UT.   BOOK NOW!

Thursday 10 July and Thursday 17 July 2008 (please choose one). Charge: £15 (which is subsidized) for members. Non members £25.  Booking is ESSENTIAL.  Please give Dave a ring on 01452 813602 if interested and he can book you in.  There will be access to propagation material from the museum orchard. Speak clearly if you get the answerphone and please ring at sociable times. Opportunity to look around the museum orchard and developing Orchard & Rural Crafts Centre Dave & Helen are building, with GOG.

Plum, quince, pear and apple rootstocks should be available (one rootstock per person is included in the price, but you can buy more at a small extra charge). Tea and coffee provided.  Please bring a sharp knife (and elastoplasts!).

Linked Events and Courses

Sue Gibson will be repeating her popular workshop on Growing and Training Fruit Trees in Small Spaces again this summer. It will take place in her garden in Slimbridge, Glos on Saturday 9th August 2008 from 10.00 am - 4.00 pm. The workshop starts with a session on the principles of fruit growing and continues with a practical session on training apple and pear trees as espaliers and other attractive shapes. Participants will practise pruning the espaliers and cordons in her garden. Early booking is advised, but if the course is over-subscribed as it was last year, a second date will be offered.

Please call Sue Gibson on 01453 890820, e-mail: sue.gibson@tiscali.co.uk; www.iteachgardening.co.uk

Ragmans Lane Farm www.ragmans.co.uk Also run courses

TRADITIONAL ORCHARDS HAVE NATIONAL/UK BAP PRIORITY HABITAT STATUS

Joan Ruddock, governmental minister for Biodiversity, and a team of media, visited GOG chairman Dave Kaspar and Helen Brent-Smith at their traditional orchards at Days Cottage Apple Juice, Brookthorpe, near Gloucester on Tuesday 28 August 2007! She announced that Ministers approve priority species and habitats list to focus future conservation action.

The news release is http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2007/070828b.htm

This is following Natural England’s detailed ecological surveys at half a dozen sites throughout the UK (including Gloucestershire), showing that traditional orchards are a unique habitat for many fauna and flora. Orchards now have National Priority Habitat status, which is excellent news. We are privileged that GOG was in the media for Joan Ruddock’s announcement! Helen was on the Today BBC Radio 4 programme and Days Cottage was on the lunchtime news on BBC and ITV.

Fruit Wanted:

See Where to Sell and Where to Buy

Subsidized Training

We have a pruning workshop in February, a grafting workshop in March, a budding workshop in July and a free fruit identification workshop at Pershore College in October. Open to members only and booking required.

Summer and Autumn events

Budding workshop - members only/booking required

Orchard lichens or other habitats visit in August - members only

Plum Day in August - members only

GOG Social/Share your produce - members only

Pear Day in September at the Three Counties Showground, Malvern (Autumn Show) - large display of perry pears in conjunction with the Three Counties Cider & Perry Association and the Slow Food movement.

Fruit ID workshop members only/booking required

For details on how to join, including the many benefits of being a GOG member, click here.

Orchard Management Advice

Natural England (Chris Wedge) have just produced a series of highly informative Technical Information Notes (TINs) on orchard management, available free for anyone.

http://naturalengland.communisis.com/NaturalEnglandShop/    Key in Orchards under “Search”.

People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) Traditional Orchard Project (across England)

If you own an orchard and would like a small ecological survey, particularly to look for the rare noble chafer beetle, please contact anita@ptes.org

Results of Gloucestershire Apple Tastings

Download (3.27MB)

GOG Wallpaper

Click to download the official GOG Wallpaper.

Identification keys for apples

Click here to download two basic keys to identify commonly grown apples in the UK.

• Key based on Bultitude 1983 [Word file, 188k]
• Key based on groups in Bunyard 1920 [Word file, 212k]

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Natural England), Environmental Stewardship

Environmental Stewardship (ES) has replaced the Countryside Stewardship and Environmentally Sensitive Area Schemes.
More details on the Grants page.

Habitat Action Plan

The Habitat Action Plan for old orchards in Gloucestershire has been redrafted and the new version has recently been accepted by all members of the Gloucestershire Biodiversity Action Plan partnership. It lays out the state of the county's orchards, their importance in landscape and historic terms as well as for wildlife, and what must be done to safeguard and improve the future. GOG takes a leading role.

Varietal research

Research into Gloucestershire varieties still continues, and we flag up here some areas of recent correspondence and debate.

Apple press for hire

Available for hire to GOG members. Contact the Secretary, Ann Smith, for more information.

Also for hire: hand crushers, press and stainless steel pasteurizer

Wanted

Hand-operated mill in good condition. Please contact Meyrick Brentnall 01452 396829 (work)/01242 581314 (home) email meyrickb@gloucester.gov.uk